In recent years, there has been explosive and increasing demand for mobile broadband delivery over cellular and wireless networks. As a result, the need for increasing broadband network capacity becomes imperative for network operators in order to maintain their annual capital expenditure (CAPEX) while continuing to offer the same flat rate data access and remain competitive. One of the key trends is the deployment of either 3GPP femtocell or wireless local area network (WLAN) for data offloading. A femtocell or Home NodeB (HNB) is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business. Apart from data offloading, femtocell allows network operators to extend service coverage indoors, especially where access would otherwise be limited or unavailable. In 3GPP terminology, a HNB is a 3G femtocell. A Home eNodeB (HeNB) is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) femtocell. In this disclosure, HNB will be used to refer to any type of femtocell.
Accordingly, data offloading with HNB or WLAN is a cost-effective solution to lower the cost of mobile broadband delivery, which is critical in sustaining the network operator's business model, as compared to a new macro cell where the cost of deploying a base station increases by several orders of magnitude. In other words, data offloading solutions would help to decrease the cost per bit while maintaining the same monthly bill for end-users.